A Midnight Grey

The passing of the Great Spirit was supposed to be accompanied with the passing of the Universe. This was not so, and it is accepted. The Toa Inika, having lost the Kanohi Ignika and failing their mission, reluctantly returned to Metru Nui. The Toa Nuva, puzzled by Mata Nui's death, also returned. It was there that the Toa Inika delivered the horrible news, but there was little time to ponder why the Universe itself was not torn apart. With the Order of Mata Nui disbanded, and with no reason to hold back, the Brotherhood of Makuta launched a full scale attack on Metru Nui.

The attack came to be known as The Siege of Makuta. Losses were heavy on both sides, but the City of Legends emerged victorious. The Turaga were killed, along with many Matoran. Perhaps the most devastating loss was that of the Toa of Light, Takanuva. It was by his sacrifice that Makuta was killed and the island saved. The Toa Inika, guilt ridden and distraught by the deaths of their friends, exiled themselves from the island. Amid the turmoil, the Toa Nuva stepped up as leaders of the island, and, with time, rebuilt Metru Nui. Time also brought about the creation of new Toa, and the passing of old ones. Tahu, Gali, Lewa, Kopaka, Onua and Pohatu were all set adrift in the Silver Sea, but not without mourning and tears.

The years went by, and Metru Nui was in a lull of peace and comfort. This peace was shattered when a plague rained down from the heavens, as if sent by the Great Spirit himself. The swarm came to be called the Varunem, which means despised in the Matoran language. Innocent Matoran were never heard from again, and there was no way to fight the invaders. Only at night did the creatures come, and by daybreak they had all but vanished. It was soon after the Varunem came that a stranger arrived on the shores of Metru Nui. With him came a claim that would rock the foundations of Metru Nui for centuries to come…the stranger called himself Mata Nui.

The stranger drove away the Varunem and performed great things, and the Matoran came to accept him and make him the ruler of the city. His reign began as a benevolent one, and slowly but surely did he make strong Metru Nui's economy once more. However, his once peaceful rule began to become that of a tyrant. One Matoran, Arkhaan, questioned Mata Nui's motives and the validity of his claims. The next day, Arkhaan had all but vanished and the Varunem had returned. Fearful of invoking his wrath further, the Matoran began to work without cease. This has persisted for 777 years, until one gray midnight, when a stranger washed upon the shores of Metru Nui...

Now, not even a month later, the island of Metru Nui plays host to a clash between good and evil and all the gray areas in between. The Dusk, led by Arkhaan, has eliminated the Varunem and is ready to wage full war against the Dawn in the hopes of ousting Mata Nui and restoring the island to a peaceful state. The Dawn, however, will not relent or sway in their efforts to quell this rebellion and carry on the Great Spirit's legacy. And now, with the Shadowed One assassinated, the Dark Hunters enter the fray to claim Metru Nui for themselves. But this fight has sparked worry and doubt among the Matoran, and many of them are beginning to ask who exactly is in charge - especially with the abrupt arrival of an armada, one a group of corsairs known as "the Midnight", and the other a warship commanded by the legendary Karzahni. Plagued and ravaged by battle, Project Cataclysm, and crusades for rare and powerful artifacts, Metru Nui is on the verge of erupting into civil war.